Opposite the entrance hall

At three o'clock in the unitary hour, the sky gradually darkened.

The internal army patrols were neatly and orderly distributed in every corner of the palace. They listened to the four directions and watched all directions, and watched every move around them with twelve spirits. The quiet and solemn form a stark contrast.

It was a very strange day. It had been cloudy and rainy for the past few days, but the past few days had improved and there was no rain, but it was drowsy. It was sweltering and hot even though I didn't see the sun, and I was sweating profusely from the heat after walking a few steps.

Another patrol team passed by, and the door of the Qianyuan Hall opened slowly with a creak. First, two young eunuchs emerged from inside. Stand up first, and wait for several masters in the hall to go out one after another, then step in and close the door of the hall.

Sun Hai took the tray where the medicine bowl was handed over by the little eunuch, and waved him to go down, while he stepped forward lightly, handed over the medicine bowl and reminded in a warm voice, "Your Majesty, it's time to drink the medicine."

Emperor Chengde made corrections on the booklet with his right hand, covered his lips with his left hand and coughed a few times, without lifting his head, he said: "Cough, cough, put it aside."

A slave would not dare to be the master without authorization, the master will be what he says, so Sun Hai listened to his words and did not persuade him much, but lightly placed the tray on the dragon case and stood aside.

It wasn't until the book was finished that Emperor Chengde let out a turbid breath, rubbed his sore neck, and picked up the medicine bowl. Before the medicine had even entered his mouth, a bitter taste came over his face. He just frowned, and then looked up. Drank it all in one gulp.

Seeing this, Sun Hai rushed up to take the empty bowl and put it on the tray, then picked up the handkerchief inside and handed it over.

Emperor Chengde took it and wiped the medicine stains on his mouth, then threw it back, turned his head and asked, "What time is it outside?"

"Go back to Your Majesty, it's time."

Hearing this, Emperor Chengde pondered for a while and then asked, "Have Ji Si and the others arrived in Xiangzhou?"

"Forget the time, Lord Ji and Lord Qi should have arrived the day before yesterday."

After finishing speaking, Emperor Chengde didn't answer, just nodded, picked up a book again, glanced at it after opening it, and asked: "You were also there before, who do you think is better for King Liang or the crown prince? Listen to me."

These words are a bit embarrassing. On the surface, you are asking the king of Liang and the crown prince who is better in water control, but in secret, you are asking which of the two is more like an emperor, has a broad vision, and has a better means.

Sun Hai has been serving in front of the Palace for many years, but he is not sure what Emperor Chengde meant when he said something, he hesitated for a moment before congratulating him, and said cautiously: "The Prince of Liang is thoughtful and considerate of the overall situation. I have followed His Majesty's great talent, the old slave is just a piece of rotten wood and his mind is really dull, those methods and strategies are said to be ten senses through nine senses, and there is one left who doesn't know anything, I hope His Majesty will forgive me."

Emperor Chengde laughed out loud, looked up at Sun Hai, his eyes were full of radiance, his temples were a little white, and the majestic and upright look of the emperor was stained with the traces of time, his expression could not see joy, he just said in a light tone: "You, you, the older you get, the more slippery you become. You really can't offend anyone."

"Everything the old slave said is true."

After a while, Emperor Chengde withdrew his smile and lowered his eyes slightly, "The boss wants to withhold money from the big family, and the crown prince wants to collect the granaries of the other seventeen prefectures in Longxi to save Xiangzhou. The method is a good one. Whether it can be done or not is another matter. The family is headed by the Qi family, and Prime Minister Qi is one of the models of literati in the world. Not to mention that touching the Qi family will chill the hearts of the literati all over the world. Come on, Qi Xiang is in a high position and says that he has a clean sleeve, and everyone in the court knows that he is upright and clean. Isn't it clear that he is telling the world that his appearance is full of copper stink? Tell me, should I check him or not? ?”

"Then what if the money can't be deducted?" Sun Hai asked.

"You can't deduct money," Emperor Chengde repeated this sentence playfully, "then the aristocratic families behind will not be able to pay money, and the people will think that he treats human life like nothing, and has not done anything for Xiangzhou. Putting everything into the people's livelihood, failing to act like an official, and pretending to be the face of a dynasty, Xu Shizhen will still have to bear the name of being incompetent and incompetent."

"Your Majesty is wise," Sun Hai said, "but if you say it like this, isn't the method of His Highness the Crown Prince more preferable?"

"Xiangzhou, the eighteen prefectures of Longxi, has the largest population and the most abundant food. If the people's support is not obtained, and all the strength of Longxi is gathered to open warehouses and release all the grain to Xiangzhou, who can guarantee that other states will have enough food? The people will not care about it." Unhappy with life? The people of Xiangzhou are the people of the Jin Dynasty, and the people of the other seventeen states are not. It is ignorant to tear down the east wall to make up the west wall."

After finishing speaking, Emperor Chengde heaved a long sigh, "Both of them, it's better to pretend to be smarter, it's hard to take the big responsibility if you are eager for quick success!"

He shook his head resentfully, sighed again, and stopped talking about it. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a paperweight on the table, a pine crane carved from jade, which was lifelike and beautiful. You can see the clear and moist texture inside, this jade is made of excellent materials, with a little bit of cool air, dispelling the dryness and heat in the palm.

"This thing was given by the third child the day before yesterday." Emperor Chengde said.

Sun Hai leaned over and took a look, then nodded and said, "It was indeed the king of Qin who asked the old slave to present it when the court was dismissed the day before yesterday."

"Songhe Yannian," Chengde Emperor said with a smile, "how could you think of giving such a thing?"

Hearing this tone, Sun Hai also smiled and said softly: "The old slave also asked the same question at the time. The prince said that he has not done what he should do as a son after leaving Beijing for many years. He has seen sons respecting their fathers among the people. The meaning of this is to wish my father good health and a long life. I thought that His Majesty the Nine-Five Supreme Being was not worthy, but I also felt that His Majesty who is a dragon and a tiger is not lacking, and he listened to a lot of beautiful words. After thinking about it I went to find a piece of stone, and carved it out bit by bit by myself, which took a lot of hard work."

Speaking of this, he added: "The prince is so filial, the old servant is a little moved."

The corners of Emperor Chengde's mouth rose a little, and his eyes were rarely softened when he stared at the paperweight, "It's really bothering me, Jing Ming has been back to Beijing for a few days."

"It's been a few days."

"He is also twenty-four this year, and it is inappropriate to be an idle prince, and he should share the burden for me." After thinking for a while, he ordered: "The palace examination is coming soon, let the Ministry of Rites tell the Ministry of Rites, and the king of Qin will arrange the palace examination this time." of."

"Yes."

After he made all kinds of arrangements, Li Hongyang and Li Hongye from outside also arrived at the gate of the palace, and the bearers on both sides hurriedly greeted them.

The servants of the Prince's Mansion opened the sedan chair curtain, and just as Li Hongye was about to bend down and sit in, he was stopped by someone behind him: "His Royal Highness, wait a moment."

Li Hongyang's eyes darkened, then he stood up straight, turned around and said with a kind smile, "What's the matter, King Liang?"

Li Hongye walked over slowly, with a warm smile, and others looked at him as brothers and sisters, "His Royal Highness is free, this king has found a few jars of good wine that have not been opened, it just so happens that the third brother is also in Beijing In the midst of this, why don't you call the fourth brother, you and I, the four of you, have a drink and talk so that we can get together."

"It's not a coincidence." Li Hongyang frowned, looking a little embarrassed, "There are some trivial matters that need to be resolved in the mansion, this..."

"It's okay," Li Hongye smiled and waved his hands, "If we can't do it today, we can just meet up another day. The matters in the mansion are more important. Besides, Mr. Ji was ordered to visit Xiangzhou this time. If the flood problem can be solved, it should be You have to remember the first merit, His Royal Highness employs people well, naturally rewards are inevitable, perhaps the status in front of the emperor will be different, and it will not be too late for us brothers to gather for the celebration banquet."

The smile on the corner of his mouth didn't decrease when he spoke, but the smile didn't reach his eyes, and the eyes staring at Li Hongyang contained too much meaning.

The latter lowered his eyes slightly, moved closer, his eyes were piercing, and he pursed his lips and said with a smile: "Borrowing the auspicious words of the King of Liang, if it is true, it will be the best, and we will prepare thin wine in the mansion to celebrate with the guests. When the time comes, the King of Liang You have to give me some face! Let’s just forget about something happening in the manor today, so I won’t disturb your elegance, let’s go ahead.”

"His Royal Highness, go slowly." Li Hongye nodded, and when he looked up again, the smile on his face faded away, leaving only a deep expression on his face.

"My lord." The servant behind him came over.

"Huh," Li Hongye sneered, shook his sleeves and tidied up his clothes, lowered his eyes and rubbed his fingers, and said in a calm and unhurried tone, "Let him have fun for a few days first, and when he cries later, the fun is just beginning. Let's, slow, slow, come, go!"

The sedan chair in the Prince's Mansion was moving very fast, until Li Hongyang's attendant said, "Your Highness, what does King Liang mean today?"

Hearing the question, Li Hongyang closed his eyes in the sedan chair and slowly opened his eyes. After a moment of contemplation, a voice that could not hear his emotions came out through the thin wooden boards, "Li Hongye is good at calculating. He is very close to you on the surface. Maybe I will stab you in the back, this time the emperor sent Ji Si to Xiangzhou, he was upset that he lost his momentum, and he didn't mean to bring bad luck to the prince."

He breathed a sigh of relief and said again: "You send a few people to guard his Prince Qin's mansion, the prince wants to see what tricks he can play."

"Yes," the person outside the sedan chair responded, hesitating for a moment but still couldn't help asking: "The other end of Mr. Ji..."

He didn't finish his words, but he didn't say anything.

"Ji Si..." Li Hongye muttered this sentence, squinting his eyes, "It's just a dog."

This soft exhortation melted into the wind, and when it blew, it scattered in all directions.

At this time, Ji Si is far away in Xiangzhou, but he doesn't know that he has got such a nickname behind his back. He went to the flower house to eat wine last night, and he smelled of alcohol. When he returned to his room, he planned to wash up and then rest. , I forgot about it later, the next morning I was woken up by the sour smell all over my body, and hurriedly called the maid to prepare hot water, tidied up inside and out before pushing the door out with wet hair.

There was drizzle in the courtyard, not heavy, but from a distance, it brought up a layer of mist, the sky was as thick as ink, wet by water, and the ink marks spread to all sides, with different shades.

Qi Ran was wearing a green suit to practice swordsmanship. He moved his sword very fast, turning his wrist to draw a silver light. Every move was clean and neat, without any unnecessary movements, but every move was pleasing to the eye.

The green clothes on his body were wetted by the drizzle, and the color deepened, and the black hair in the green clothes was the most vivid color in this ink painting. Ji Si leaned against the door frame with his hands in his arms, and remained silent for a while.

After Qi Ran put away his sword, he turned around and looked at the smiling man under the eaves, "Have you seen enough?"

Hearing his voice, Ji Si tilted his head and smiled at people: "That's enough, Zi Heng is so elegant, the sword practice this early in the morning, it's a good thing I saw a pleasing picture."

Qi Ran raised his eyes, looked away, and said in a flat tone, "Dou Yuanliang took the people away."

"I know."

This time it was Qi Ran's turn to be surprised.

"According to the time, the people from Longxi Chief Envoy should reach Xiangzhou today even if they walk."

"You doubt Dou Yuanliang." Qi Ran used an affirmative sentence.

"Don't you doubt him too?" Ji Si smiled.

He straightened up and walked out under the eaves, and walked up to Qi Ran step by step. The latter frowned, his brain didn't move, but his legs subconsciously took a step back.

Ji Si was amused by his reaction, laughed idiotically, raised his head and joked: "What are you afraid of?"

Qi Ran frowned, did not answer his words, but asked instead: "You are dispelling Dou Yuanliang's defense against you, how sure are you that Dou Yuanliang will fall into your trap, how sure are you that he will save the people in his house?"

"Guess." Ji Si shrugged.

After thinking for a while, Qi Ran said firmly, "Du Heng?"

Du Heng is a member of Yushitai, and he will truthfully report everything that happens in Xiangzhou to the emperor. He is the eye sent by the emperor. , everything he did had to protect his persona, as long as Du Heng knew about it, the emperor would naturally know about it, so he had to save those servants.

As for Ji Si, a hungry ghost of sex and a fool, there is nothing to be afraid of. It is precisely this thought that gives Ji Si convenience, and what he wants is Dou Yuanliang's contempt for him.

Thinking of this, Qi Ran frowned even more, and said in more confusion: "Ji Si, what do you want to do?"

"Zi Heng still remembers what I said before the wonton stall." Ji Si smiled enough, stopped the smile, stared into his eyes and said seriously, "I didn't want to be a good official before, I wanted to be a good official. A good officer like you."

The same sentence, different scenes, Qi Ran pursed his lips tightly, but for some reason he couldn't open his mouth when he was supposed to say something, and in the end he just uttered four words, "Natural nature is hard to change."

Ji Si's eyes moved slightly.

Qi Ran went on to say, "You and I are different."

The drizzle fell on the two people's clothes, and the water marks spread along the lines of the clothes. The next second, another raindrop fell, covering the previous water mark, drop by drop, and so on.

Du Heng stepped into the courtyard holding an oil umbrella, and what he saw was the scene of the two standing in the rain, he was stunned before slowly walking in and said calmly: "The people from the Chief Envoy of Longxi are here."

"Who?" Qi Ran asked, looking away.

"Not Cui Hao."

The author has something to say:

small theater:

I really can't think of the small theater today, it's dry.

ps: Some little sisters didn't understand the previous two chapters. This chapter explained a small part, which roughly means that they used Du Heng to deceive Dou Yuanliang, and then used the frivolous maidservant of Dou's house to set up Ji Si's incompetent, lustful image. The more this kind of person is, the less he will be taken seriously by others, and everyone will be afraid that the strong will ignore the weak, and he will be able to establish his prestige. At least everyone in the Dou family knows that there is such a living ancestor, and they dare not provoke him. It's farther away, and he was injured, and he can justifiably go to Dr. Cen first. Why did he find Dr. Ben? I will explain later, why they think Dou Yuanliang has a problem, and I will explain later. In fact, there are some foreshadowings, but you probably don't. figure it out.

Mr. Ji is so ruthless that he even calculates himself. Compared with him, Mr. Qi is too upright and not so thick-skinned. He is completely pinched to death.

Finally, today is Valentine's Day, I wish you all a happy Valentine's Day.